British Trade Envoy’s Visit to Israel Sparks Criticism
(MENAFN) British Trade Envoy Ian Austin’s recent trip to Israel has sparked criticism following the UK’s decision to halt free trade discussions.
On Monday, the British Embassy in Tel Aviv announced that Austin toured various locations at Haifa Port, “witnessing UK-Israel cooperation at every stop.”
Just last week, the UK issued its most forceful condemnation yet of Israeli military actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, labeling the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “abominable” and declaring an official pause in free trade negotiations with Israel.
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), criticized the timing of Austin’s visit on X, questioning, “Why is the UK sending its extremist trade envoy to Israel, a man who is an apologist for war crimes, at a time when the UK has ended talks on a new free trade deal?”
Although the British government has expressed strong disapproval of Israel’s recent military escalation — with Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling Israel’s campaign “dangerous, repellent and monstrous” — some argue that the envoy’s visit signals that the bilateral relationship remains largely unchanged.
A news agency’s Middle East correspondent, highlighted the conflicting signals, stating, “Last week the UK government suspended free trade negotiations with Israel in protest at the war in Gaza. This week the UK’s trade envoy is touring Israel. Slightly mixed messaging.”
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
